The Fox and the Bunny
by Zachattack1011
Summary: Christmas time, and Judy has asked nick to come to bunnieburrow! how will this work out? nickxjudy. rated M for possibilities in future chapters
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Writers note: It's been two years since Judy and Nick were put together as partners. They have solved many crimes together and Judy has grown to see nick in a different light. Although nick is the slyest fox in Zootopia, he is oblivious to her feelings toward him. This is my first attempt at a fan fiction, so take it easy.**

"Morning nick!" Judy exclaims as she bursts through the door into Nicks shabby apartment.

"Wasgoinon!" The fox yells, still half asleep. Next thing he knows is a grey blob is flying at him and wraps herself around his head.

"Get up, Christmas break has started. Chief Bogo has put all the officers except for a few, on call, so until Christmas break is over, WE CAN DO WHATEVER WE WANT!" Judy shrieks

Nick pulls her off of his face, looks her in the eyes and says "that's all well and good carrots, but next time, can you let me put on a shirt before you smother me?"

she wriggles out of his arms and says, giggling "no, I like you better this way..." she throws a shirt at him from across the room. "C'mon you slow fox, we have things to do!" I didn't think I had made plans for today, so why is she acting like we have been planning this for months?

"Carrots, what are you planning?" Nick asks. She puts on a mischievous grin

"If today goes as plan, you might even thank me." She says as she hops out of the room

Nick doesn't like his gut feeling towards this.

"So, you wanted to go get your morning coffee before you initiate your master plan?" Nick asks. It is now 10:13 in the morning, and he is tired.

"Yeah" she says, looking him in the eyes "something like that" he's seen her like this before, and that was before he did the ice bucket challenge last summer, without him knowing about it.

"Can you give me a hint about what your planning, fluff?" he asks, knowing she hates that nickname.

"Nope" she says "but like I said, you might even thank me when it's finished. Anyway, I have a question. Do you want to come spend Christmas with my family over at the ranch? My mom always makes the best stuffing." She looks at Nick hopefully. He doesn't want to let her down.

"Why not" He says, knowing this is part of her plan "I have nothing else to do, and I don't want to spend Christmas with Clawhouser again" we both burst out laughing. Last Christmas, Nick spent it with their secretary, Clawhouser. Let's just say he likes karaoke and that Nicks not much of a singer. The videos of him were pretty funny though.

"It's settled then" she says, standing up "we leave in one hour, let's go get you packed!" she skips out the door.

"Hold on carrots!" he says, as surprised as he is excited "one hour?" he sprints out the door, paying for their coffee as he goes.

"Well carrots, I've never ridden this thing, but now I wish I had sooner" Nick says, the view of Zootopia in the distance taking his breath away.

"I know! Just imagine my first time coming to the city from a little farm in the country." Judy exclaims. Nick goes to the lounge of the train, and finds a place to sit.

"Hey fluff, I'm tired, wake me up when we get there, ok?" he asks, sitting down and closing his eyes.

"Sure" Judy says "ill set an alarm" then His eyes spring open as he feels something warm and small lean against him. He looks down and there she is, right next to him. Her head on his chest, her eyes closed.

"Well, I can't sleep now" he thinks to himself. He looks outside the train, as he sees little snow particles fall from the sky. He starts to remember the first time he saw Judy playing in the snow. It was the winter after they were put together as partners. She was in her uniform, in a schoolyard with a bunch of little ones. She was building a snow bunny when one of the little boys and some friends started throwing snowballs at her, calling her names. Nick was about to intervene, when she said "so, you guys want a snowball fight, huh?" and he just stood there, shocked to see that the kids who were making fun of her, laughing and playing and just having a good time. When we had to leave, one of them even came up to her and hugged her with the rest of the kids...

"Hey, dumb fox!" he hears, his eyes snapping awake, feeling someone pull on his ears. "We're here."

He looks up and sees Judy, with their bags, smiling at him. And he feels something hurt in his chest. He stands up, stretches out, but the pain is still there.

"Oh, hey there" he says jokingly "we're here?" he asks.

"Yeah, just arrived. I hope you slept well, because my brothers and sisters will not let you go to sleep early tonight." She says, tossing my bag at me and skips away.

"She sure is in a happy mood; I wonder what that's all about?" Nick says quietly to himself.

"What did you say nick?" Judy asks, turning around. "I thought you couldn't hear me." He says, looking out the window. "The snow sure looks pretty." he says, changing the subject.

"Yeah, but it's been a while since I've seen snow out here though." She says. "Well, let's introduce you to the family" she grimaces. The look on her face is the same one he saw just before they broke into that mob bosses lair, armed to the teeth.

"Uh oh" he thinks, as they step outside and all he sees are rabbits, hundreds of rabbits.

After what seemed like an eternity, being welcomed to the farm, Nick finally gets led to the barn. "And this is where you will be sleeping" Mrs. H says to him, Pointing at the pile of hay, with a blanket thrown over top of it.

"Ok, thank you for your hospitality, but why am I out in the barn? I saw a few empty rooms in the burrow." He asks carefully, not wanting to seem ungrateful.

"Well, we can't have a fox living in our house, no matter how short a time. I trust you understand?" she says, looking at him like a savage.

"Of course" he responds, looking at her neutrally, hoping that she won't see his anger. After she left he flopped down onto his hay, looking out the cracks in the wall at the snow, and wonders to himself what Judy is doing right now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Why can't I sleep?" Judy thinks to herself. It's been several hours since her parents put the other children to bed, and yet, nick still hasn't shown up at her room.

"Oh no" she exclaims as she springs out of bed, throws on a jacket and races outside. "Mom, Dad! Where is nick?" she says to her parents, who are just heading to bed themselves.

"Oh, sweetie" bonnie says "he said he would much rather sleep by himself, somewhere away from everyone"

She looks at her, and by the look in her eyes, she can tell her mother is lying. "No he didn't" she hisses defiantly "nick isn't the kind of animal who would spend the night away from everybody. Now, where is he?"

Her parents look shocked. "Obviously they won't help" she thinks to herself angrily. She starts off at a jog towards the guest house. "Please be ok, dumb fox…" she says to herself, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It's cold out tonight, I hope he is alright." she thinks as she pictures of him being somewhere without any warm clothes or a blanket. She kicks it into high gear as fear starts to take over.

"NICK!" She yells into the darkness as she runs through the field.

"Carrots?" She hears in the distance "is that you?" She starts sprinting as fast as she can towards the barn. Rabbit ears may be bulky and heavy, but they do come in handy.

As she throws open the doors to the barn she sees him lying there, wrapped in probably the thinnest blanket we have, shivering like his life depended on it.

"Holy hell, we need to get you inside" she says as she helps him up and starts hobbling towards her room. As soon as they get inside, Judy throws him into the bathroom and says through the door "take a hot bath, don't come out until you can feel all of your toes, paws and the tip of your tail!" Nick listens to her, because it's not a minute later when she hears the water running.

"Why would she do something like this, she doesn't even know Nick, and yet she is making assumptions?" Judy wonders to herself as she tries piecing together what would have happened to get him into this situation.

"Hey carrots," Nick croaks from the bathroom "can you get a fox a towel?" As Nick stands up, using all of his digits, he starts to understand what happened.

"Here you go; I got you a few because all of our towels are bunny sized." Judy says, giggling. "When you're done, just throw on a shirt and come out here"

"Ok, but no funny business, fluff. I'm still recovering." Nick says cautiously as he opens the door to the bathroom.

"Alright, but I'm going to get you back for that fluff comment. Anyway," she continues, pointing across the room, "this is where you will stay for tonight. Tomorrow morning you and I will have a little chat with my mother!" She almost yells, her voice cracking a little bit.

"Hey, Judy," Nick begins. Judy knows he is talking about something serious, because he's using her actual name. "I don't want any trouble, it's enough that you guys are letting me stay here for Christmas, but to cause trouble with your folks? This fox has enough smarts to know that angry parents, they can do anything..." Nick looks out the window, lost in thought again.

"Nick, they won't be angry." Judy explains, snapping Nick away from his train of thought. "They just need to get to know you, that's what I mean. As soon as they know the real you, they will have to let you stay somewhere inside." Judy puts on the face she always does when she sets a goal, and her goals are always achieved.

"Alright then carrots, but enough talk. Time for some sleep..." Nick manages to yawn out before crashing onto the makeshift bed she constructed. She too, feels as though sleep would be the best option right now.

"Goodnight, you lovely fox." Judy whispers to herself, as she turns her head to look across the room. Nick is curled into a ball, wrapping his tail around himself. She looks at his face, mouth slightly open. She sees him snore a little bit. "Oh lord, what are you thinking Hopps" she silently yells at herself as thoughts of kissing him suddenly pop into her brain. She looks back, and decides "I'll tell him, before the end of the break, I'll tell him." And with that, she puts her head down and falls into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Judy woke up, tired. Then she remembers the night before, but Nick is absent from the bed in the corner.

"Nick?" Judy calls out quietly. She throws on a house coat, and opens the door. There, lying in the gravel is Nick. Before Judy could call out to him though, she noticed that he was doing side crunches.

"Oh Wow..." she whispers as she looks at his toned body, shirtless and slightly sweaty.

"Go back inside, and cool yourself off before you do something stupid" she thinks to herself as she goes inside and has a cold shower.

"Why do I feel this way? She wonders aloud to herself. The showers at Bunnyburrow are loud enough that her dad can sing in the shower, and anyone in the vicinity only hears this tone changing drone. No words.

"He's my partner; I can't be getting all romantic with him. That could screw with assignments." She says, scolding herself as she dunks her head into the icy jet.

She gets out of the shower, her desires under control, and sees her partner sitting cross legged on the floor.

"Morning sleepy head." He jests. He probably got up at the crack of dawn. "Are you done with the shower?"

"Yeah, it's all yours." I try to say without any quivers in my voice. "Just use the towels I gave you yesterday. Wear something nice, and then we will go talk to my parents."

"Awww, is the CUTE little bunny scared of defying her parents?" Nick jokes as he closes the door to the bathroom.

"Just have your shower already!" Judy yells at him, getting dressed. She knows what is going to happen later tonight, but she thinks she better keep that a secret from Nick, at least for now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Mom, Dad, we need to talk" Judy says, angrily stalking towards her parents.

"Judy, I really think this is a bad idea, I'm ok with sleeping outside." Nick whispers to his partner, trying to calm her down.

"No, Nick, this is more than just you being put in the barn to sleep, this is about respect." Judy hisses back. There is no stopping her now.

"Hey Jude the dude. How we doing?" Stu says, not noticing her attitude, his back to the pair. He turns around, and jumps back a little bit because by the time he does, Judy is in his face.

"We are not doing good, dad. What is it with you guys and Nick, I've written to you guys about him before. Nick is a good person! Why can't you give him a chance?" Judy yells.

"Now Hun, you need to calm down." Bonnie responds trying to defend her mate. "It was my idea to put Nick in the barn. We can't have him getting to close to the little ones. He might go after one of them as a midnight snack."

Judy is mortified "Well then, I guess I am going to have to keep an eye on him at all times, isn't that right?" Judy says with a certain tone that Nick has never heard before. It's a toxic tone, like a bear tearing into a fish.

"Alright, but keep your fox tazer on you at all times, ok?" spits Bonnie in the same tone. Nick and Stu back away ever so slightly. Instinct is telling them that this is like a bomb that could go off at any moment. Realising this, the two alpha-females turn away from each other, grab their corresponding counterparts and walk away.

"Judy, you didn't have to do that." Nick declares, but softly enough that he doesn't piss her off even more.

"Well Nick, That actually went exactly as planned." Judy looks up at Nick, beaming like the morning sun

"Clever bunny" Nick jokes, still not knowing what her plan was

"Lovely fox..." Judy whispers to herself. "Anyway, let's get you cleaned up. We have a big night tonight!"

"Oh no/This won't be good/what is she up to?" Nicks thoughts start to warn him.

"Don't open your eyes, keep them closed..." Judy whispers in Nicks ear as she walks him to the stadium the rest of her family set up about an hour ago while she was distracting Nick.

"Whoa..." is all that escapes Nick's lips as he opens his eyes and sees a large canopied area, a stage with a band is on the far side playing happy Christmas music. Bunnies dancing around, some with partners, some just having some fun with their friends.

As they are both distracted, either with the scenery or with each other, they don't notice a fairly tipsy rabbit falling and spilling his drink towards the two of them. Suddenly, a pair of paws pulls Judy back, leaving nick to take the full brunt of the drink.

"Umm, hi. Yeah, sorry about that." Says the almost fully black rabbit

"Jack!" Judy shrieks as she wraps her arms around the bunny that was, by then, holding her in his arms. "It's so good to see you. How have you been?"

"Wait, who are you? Sorry, I'm a little bit to used to having pretty girls in my arms" he purrs, winking at her.

Judy jumps out of his arms, giving him the once over. He is slightly taller than Judy, enough that he can comfortably rest his chin on her head. He is all black, except for a white paw and a grey ear. His eyes are his most interesting feature. Other than being so intense they could start into your soul, one is electric blue and one is dark platinum.

"Jack, you know we stopped doing stuff like that a long time ago." Judy says disapprovingly.

"Yeah, but we can still do math class together..." Jack saucily replies. "We can practice multiplying, if you're up to it." He whispers.

Judy turns bright red, turns Nick around and squeaks out "This is Nick; he's my partner at the ZPD!"

He does a two finger salute, and casually addresses him with "Hey"

"Anyway, Nick." Judy starts, trying to end this conversation. "Let's go dance!" she takes his paw and pulls him onto the dance floor. They dance for the next hour, getting drinks here and there until suddenly...

"Alright, it's time to slow it down. Grab your partner ladies and gents."

Off to the side, Jack stared with narrowed eyes, tracking the pair's movements. Suddenly, he smirked. "Even after all these years... you're still the same. This'll be fun..."

"Hey, we can go get some drinks, if you want. I know a good mix..." Nick tries to get out but is interrupted by Judy jumping into his arms, placing her head in the crook of his neck.

"Oh, I just love this song Nick, wont you dance with me?" Judy whispers into Nick's ear, sending shivers up his spine.

"Well, if we're like this, then I'm the only one dancing, aren't I?" he whispers back in equal tone. The two of them pull apart a little bit, looking into each other's eyes. Nick looks over her shoulder, seeing the other bunnies, and other assorted animal pairings staring at them in disgust.

Feeling their gaze upon them, he looks at Judy and whispers "what would other animals think, seeing us here, like this. I mean a predator and a prey. Some might think... and I know you don't want them getting the wrong idea." Judy pushes him away, looking awestruck, tears in her eyes.

"Alright, I get it." She chokes out before bursting into tears and running out the door. Nick begins to give chase, but the black jackrabbit from before stops him

"Back off, I saw what happened. I'll let you in on something: you messed up. Now, I'm going to go find her, don't follow me." He says, looking triumphant, and with that he runs out the door, calling Judy's name.

"Oh, Judy... I'm so sorry..." Nick quietly says to himself, a tear running down his fur, falling onto the floor. He walks out from the opposite side, quietly heading back to the room. He opened the door, walked over to his corner, planted his face in his pillow and slept.

A few hours later he was woken by someone opening the door. "Judy?" he questioned groggily.

"Oh, hey Ni-" She hiccupped, stumbling slightly." -ck. I have something to say to you." She stumbles over to her bed, takes off her clothes, and lies down in nothing but her tanktop and panties. "I love..." she mumbles out before closing her eyes and falling asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Writers note: hey guys, its Zach here, and I just wanted to say thank you for all of your support in my writing, it means a lot to me. At first I thought this would be something I would do in my spare time, on occasion, but now, everyday I'm brainstorming new ideas. So, for this chapter 5 only, I'm leaving some things up to suggestion. Private message me if you think you have a good one. P.S: I re-wrote the first chapter, go check it out. So, on to chapter 4!**

Nick gets up and stretches out, for he was in a little ball until now. He looks at Judy and thinks "what was she trying to say?" He walks over to her, and then it hits him, like a cheetah in a boxing ring.

"She loves me..." Nick realises, quietly saying it out loud. He puts a blanket over her, and heads over to the dining room, where they had Christmas dinner. There were still the flowers on the table, so he picked one up, a pearly white rose, perfectly trimmed.

"Oh Judy." He quietly whispers as he places it on her bedside table with a note, reading Love Nick. He pulls her blanket up and over her, because by the way she was shivering, she did not wear a coat out there.

Nick then stands up, puts on a jacket of his own, and heads out the door, needing to clear his mind. He grabs his phone, just in case, puts in his ear buds and begins to take off at a jog.

It wasn't fifteen minutes later when he turned around a bend and saw that black jackrabbit, in the middle of the path, still looking for Judy.

"Hey there, you know she's long gone by now, right?" Nick says, passing by.

"Oh Nick, but we're not looking for HER" Jack reply's as something, or someone trips Nick, about five meters down the trail. As Nick begins to get up, and dust himself off, he looks up and catches a paw, right on his nose.

"Arrg, what the fuck?!" He growls, as he gets back up, faster this time. Expecting another punch, he puts his paws up, and then he feels a sharp pain in the back of his head. He drops to the ground for the third time, now getting really pissed.

"Ok guys, lets do this like gentlemammals."Nick begins to say, but the cloth being shoved into his mouth, and the bag being put over his head seemed to muffle him a bit.

"Sorry, what was that Wilde?" One of the rabbits behind him says as he hits him in the back with a fallen branch.

"Yeah, we can't hear you!" another one shouts as he kicks him in the face. Nick slouches over, bleeding from his back, his face and his paws. They all stand back as he lies down on the ground, the blood starting to pool around him.

"Hey" Jack demands "I have an idea. Pick him up and follow me." They do as he commands as they lift him up and start to walk.

"There's a treat in store for you, Fox. All because you think you can just go around, doing whatever with whomever. Well guess what? A predator and a prey together is just wrong, and this is what becomes of it, nothing but pain." Jack boasts from in front of them. Nick is barely conscious at this time, but he is conscious enough to hit the home button on his phone three times, before blacking out.

Judy gets woken up by the sound of a text message going off on her phone. The only reason she gets up is because its nick special tone. She gets up, puts her hand on her bedside table, and pricks herself on one of the thorns. She gets out of bed, turns on the light, and sees that nick isn't there. She looks over to her bedside table and sees a rose, a note and her phone.

"Nick, is this from you?" she wonders aloud as she picks up the rose and the note. She opens the note and it reads "dearest carrots, I don't know what you were trying to say to me when you passed out last night, but I thought this would be as good a way as any to tell you something as well. I love you Judy, I've just never known it until you walked in last night and every kind of nasty though roamed around my mind. If I'm not back in the morning, I'm probably still outside; I'll be back soon, Love Nick."

Judy then picks up her phone, opens up the text message and that reads "To whoever is reading this, I'm in trouble. Follow these coordinates, a new set every three minutes, and come and find me, please."

Judy throws on her jacket, opening Google maps on her phone, punching in the numbers nick sent her, and runs out the door.

"There, that should do it. Who knew a fox would be this easy to take down?" The jackrabbit taunts as the rest of them stand and watch in appreciation. Nick is tied down to a chair, in the middle of the barn, facing the doors, which are wide open, The three rabbits standing there, laughing.

"You just wait... Judy will find me..." Nick forces out between bloody breaths.

The three rabbits stop laughing for a second until one of them says "Yeah, maybe when you're dead. The cold will finish you." They start laughing again, as they disappear into the night.

"Judy, I'm sorry." Nick thinks to himself as he falls unconscious once more. The cold starting to shut down his body, Black spots starting to form under his fur, frost forming on the tips of his orange fluff, his tail almost completely white, and as his heart starts to slow down, his body remembers one thing.

The heat, and feeling of Judy leaning against him on the train ride here.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Writers note: Hello everybody, I have to apologise, I write the notes before I write the chapter. So, sadly I will not be taking your suggestions into account FOR THIS CHAPTER. So, all of your beautiful ideas are going to be added in future chapters. Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. What will happen to Nick...?**

A golden field. That is all Nick sees as he wanders around this unfamiliar terrain. "What's going on?" Nick mumbles aloud to himself. He is dressed in a red plaid shirt and jeans, bare feet and no sunglasses. In the distance he sees a figure, standing underneath a tree, that's all that is different in this endless field. A figure, that he almost recognises...

"NICK!" Judy cries, as she sprints into the barn, quickly untying the ropes that bound the fox. "I'm going to get you out of here. SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!" tears streaming down her face, wetting her face fur. She has never been this scared in her life, as her parents run towards the two of them...

"Judy." Nick says softly as he approaches the figure underneath the tree, everything slowly coming into focus. "It is you." He starts to run towards the tree, although with every step, the tree doesn't seem to move any...

"Set it to 150, 3, 2, 1, pulse!" the paramedics say to each other as they speed down the highway, heading straight to the hospital, Judy, sitting in the back, her parents holding her tightly as she cries. "Nick..." she whispers, a small box in her paw. "You didn't even get a chance to open this..."

Running as fast as he can, he runs towards the tree, panting, as he has been running for quite some time. Suddenly he stops, knowing that his attempts are futile. "Something is wrong here... What was it that people said happens before you die?" He asks himself, as he turns around and sees two young foxes, playing around. One grey, one orange...

"Pulse, c'mon !" One of the paramedics yells as he puts the defibrillator on Nick's chest, causing him to arch his back. "We've got a pulse, but its weak." The other one says, as they both take deep breaths. Judy still freaking out...

"What was that?" Nick wonders as a flash of lightning streaks across the now stormy sky. Sirens can be heard in the distance as he walks down main street Zootopia. "Where am I, I could've sworn..." Nick wonders to himself, as a police car speeds up, stops next to him, and the passenger side door opens. "C'mon Nick" says the driver, another strangely recognisable figure...

"C'mon Nick" Judy says, as she sits next to his hospital bed, the now bandaged fox lying there, asleep. "You've missed Christmas, you dumb fox." She starts to cry as she puts her head on his chest, smelling his fur. A faint hint of nutmeg still remaining from when he spilled stuffing on his brand new shirt...

"This isn't real" Nick yells, backing away from the car, terrified.

"Of course it is" The figure said. It has taken the form of a small mammal, shorter than he, lilac eyes, and big ears. Her name is on the tip of his tongue, but the figure says "Shhhhh, My name cannot be spoken. Bad things will happen if it is."

Nick doesn't believe this, and he knows that if he goes with the creature, then the real version of the person it is imitating will be forever lost, as well as any chance of waking up.

"Like hell, Judy." Nick says, a triumphant smile appearing on his face. Immediately, the sky turns red, and the two are standing in the middle of a long since fought battlefield. The weapons of fallen soldiers and their charred bones have replaced the grass in this field.

"I told you so." Says the now skeletal figure in front of him. It is wearing a black cloak, and is holding a scythe, as long as its body, but seemingly light, for the figure is handling it with ease. Nicks vision begins to tunnel as the last thing he sees is its face, and its empty, hollow eyes.

"Hey carrots, you look tired" Nick says, looking at the bunny lying on his chest, feeling her tears in his fur. She sits up, rubs her eyes, sees him awake and immediately wraps her hands around his neck, her head over his shoulder.

"Oh my god Nick, I thought you would never wake up!" Judy says between sobs. Nick looks at the clock and it reads 2:43 PM Dec 27.

"I was out for a long time I see, sorry I ruined Christmas." He says, pulling the crying bunny off of him.

"Here, this was meant to be opened a few days ago, but you slept through the day." Judy says, laugh/crying, pulling the box out of her jacket pocket. Nick pulls off the wrapping paper, very carefully, not ripping it at all.

"Wow carrots, you really outdid yourself this year." Nick says, awestruck. He pulls a fine golden chain out of the box, with a silver carrot as the pendant. He puts it around his neck, looks in the mirror across the room. It complements the gold in his fur quite nicely.

"I saved up half of my monthly payment to save up for this, it is real gold. I wanted you to open it in front of everyone." Judy explains as they look into his eyes.

"Listen, Judy. About the note that I left on your desk, I just assumed that you were going to say you loved... me. So, if you don't. Just, ignore that, please?" Nick tries to explain to Judy, but Judy has already pulled the note out of her pocket.

"You mean this note?" She teases, holding it out of his reach as he tries to grab it. He pulls her towards him, at first in an attempt to grab the note, but as they stare into each other's eyes, he realises that this was for so much more.

"Sorry carrots, this must be awk-"He says, but is cut off by her placing her lips on his. They stay that way for a bit, each of them loving it more and more each moment they stay like this. Finally they break apart, Judy blushing and Nick smiling.

"When I found you in the barn, I was truly scared. For the first time in my life, I thought I would lose something close to me." Judy says as she starts to cry again

"Don't worry carrots, I'm right here." He says to her as he strokes her ears. "You bunnies, so emotional."

 **Writers note: Well, there it is, the ending to the cliff-hanger. Now, I have a confession to make: I'm not going to be posting as quickly as I have been; now that comes with ups and downs. One of the ups is that my chapters will be longer and more detailed, one of the downs is that you will have to wait longer for chapters to come out. I will also be taking this time to better my writing skills, so that I can give all of you a more enjoyable read, there will be at least one chapter a week, maybe two, but I don't have a lot of time to write. Sorry, please bear with me while I get my life together.**

" **Time will tell"**

 **Zach**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Writers note: Hey there everybody, it's been a long week, full of studying and shows, But I'm back, and ready to produce better and more material than ever before.(which isn't a lot considering I hardly wrote before) So, here we go, what adventure will our heroes face next?**

"Hey, c'mon Nick, we've got work to do!" Judy calls from the patrol vehicle they were given for the day, the sun glancing off of its lights, shining in Nicks eyes. "Alright Fluff, you got the carrot spice latte, right?" Nick hops in, and they take off at the regular cruising rate, for they are on patrol this morning.

"Mmmm, thanks Nick" Judy hums as they move along, each of them looking out their respective window for anything suspicious. They pass 57th and and Judy looks down the way, the sun in her eyes. It disappears as quickly as it comes when they pass and begin their regular pattern of shops.

"Hey Judy, look at this!" Nick points outside at a couple of lynxes in an alleyway, exchanging a package wrapped in brown paper. The other one hands over a bundle of bills and they both go their separate ways.

"Let's go after the one with the product, which will yield more results." Judy shouts as she jumps over Nick and out the door.

"Wait Judy, we should stick together, one of them might be armed!" Nick yells after Judy as he follows her and the suspect in hot pursuit. Suddenly his body stops, it won't move, despite his commands to make it do so.

"Judy hold on, there's something wrong" He tries to call, but his voice is nowhere to be found. Suddenly, three rabbits come from the alleyway in front of Nick, but Judy has her back turned.

'No...' Nick thinks, as he recognises the rabbits. It was the three that jumped him on Christmas Eve. They walk over to Judy casually until one of them takes out a lead pipe and another a tire iron.

"NO!" Nick manages to shout out as the rabbits begin to beat on Judy, first breaking her legs, then a couple hits in the ribs, His body still refusing to move. Judy lying on the ground, blood starting to pool as one of the rabbits had hit her in the head with a lead pipe.

Jack turns around to face Nick, and looks directly into his eyes. "A predator and a prey together is just wrong, and this is what comes of it, nothing but pain." Then they all run down the alleyway, leaving Judy on the sidewalk, bleeding out. Nicks body responds once again as he runs up to her and holds her in his arms, blood staining his uniform and his fur.

"Stay with me Carrots." Nicks trembling voice manages to squeak out as he starts to cry. A tear runs down his face falling on Judy's nose, her eyes open slightly.

"I'm sorry Nick..." Her eyes close, Nick feeling her life draining from her body, as he realises that this is all his fault. He puts her down, stands up and brushes himself off.

"No, I'm sorry Carrots. This is entirely my fault, and now you're gone I've realised something. I can't live without you." Nick takes his sidearm out of its holster, loading a bullet into the chamber. He looks down onto the lifeless form before him as he brings the gun to his head.

"I'll see you soon." Nick says softly as he pulls the trigger. Then there's nothing but black.

Nicks eyes snap open as he bolts upright in his bed, sweat causing the covers to stick to him. He looks around, calming his breath as he takes in his surroundings. He is in his bedroom, clothes scattered over the floor, his uniform hanging up nicely in his closet. His apartment is nothing grand, a small, two room, one bath place, and is right in the heart of the city. Close to the police station so that if he forgets anything, he can run back home and grab it before he's on the clock. Nick stands up, and walks over to the mirror he has above his dresser.

'Oh Judy...' He thinks to himself as he picks up his phone and calls her, panting. He has never felt this way, a mixture of fear, longing and disbelief. -Ring- 'Please pick up Judy.' _Ring_ He starts pacing from the dresser to the bed, walking faster and faster.

"Nick?" Judy's voice questions from the other side of the line. "Nick, its 2:43 and we have to be at work for 6, so why are you-"

"Judy, are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are y-"Nick started firing off, a tremble in his voice as he tried not to cry.

"Whoa, whoa, one question at a time, Nick, what's wrong?"

"Judy, I had a dream, it was bad, and you were in it." Judy had never heard Nick like this; he sounded small and alone and truly scared.

"Nick, I'll be over in a few minutes, just hang in there" _Click_ Judy racing around her apartment, collecting clothes, toiletries, everything she would need for an overnight bag. She had never stayed over at Nicks' house before, and she was nervous, thinking 'What should I bring?'

Nick put down the phone, still shocked from the dream, but more shocked now that Judy was coming over, at this ungodly hour.

"I have to get dressed" Nick stumbled over to his wall, and turned on the lights so that he could see what he was doing. Nick then went over to his dresser and picked out a pair of pajama pants that Judy had gotten for him last Christmas. He decided to not put on a shirt, 'Judy would like it better this way.'

Minutes later he heard his doorbell ring, he had just put the kettle on for some tea. He walked over to the door when it flew open and his partner dropped her bag and jumped at him, wrapping her legs around his chest and her arms around his neck.

"Nick, when I heard you on the phone I knew something was wrong. Are you okay?" Judy mumbled, her voice slightly muffled by his fur in her face.

"Yeah, I'm okay Carrots. Thanks for coming all this way for little old me." Judy dropped from Nick's chest and went to go get her bag.

"No, I'll get it, you go lay on the bed, and I'll take the couch." Nick said softly, not wanting to wake the neighbors as he grabbed Judy's bag and closed the door.

"Thanks Nick, I'll go set up in your room, and I'll see you in the morning. Okay?" Judy yawned as she walked over to Nick's room, her bags already delivered. She closed the door behind her, hung up her uniform, put on some pajamas and fell asleep. Her last conscious thought before drifting off to sleep was 'I love this bed, it smells like him...'

"Morning Carrots, rise and shine!" Was Judy's wakeup call this morning, as she opened her eyes and saw a tall, handsome, fox standing in the doorway with a plate of food. It was 4:30 in the morning, and Nick was already up, serving his guest breakfast in bed.

"Wow Nick, I didn't know you cooked." Was all Judy could say between delicious bites of eggs Benedict with a side of carrot juice, it was so good she couldn't stop eating until the plate was licked clean.

"That was really good Nick, where did you learn to cook like that?" Judy asked as she got out of bed and put on her uniform.

"My mom." Nick replied, turning away slightly, for two reasons. One, he was still in the room as she was getting changed, and two, because his mom had died the year before of Pancreatic cancer. Judy was the only person Nick could mention his mother around, for she was the only person left in Nick's life. Finnick had left to go somewhere in the East, where the cons were more dangerous, but better paying. Nick hadn't heard from him in half a year, so he could only assume that he was dead.

"Oh, she must have been a great cook." Judy murmured, knowing that this was a sensitive subject for Nick. She finished putting on her uniform and punched Nick in the shoulder as she left the room. They both then left the building, taking the elevator down to the garage level, got in the cruiser and headed off to the station.

"...and last but not least, Hopps and Wilde... Patrol for the morning, keep your eye out and report anything suspicious." Chief Bogo finished as he dismissed the bull pen to their respective assignments. Judy and Nick went back outside to the car, and took off down at the normal patrol speed.

'C'mon Nick, get it together, what was the intersection where you stopped in your dream!?' Nick put his head against the window, trying to remember as they passed 57th and . Nick looked up and saw a pair of shady looking rabbits down an alleyway.

"Hey Carrots, pull over, stay here, I'm going to check something out." Nick got out of the car, and walked towards them. One of them was wearing a hood, so he couldn't identify that one. The other rabbit however, he recognised almost immediately.

"Hey there, do you remember me?" Nick shouted as he pinned the rabbit against the wall. "Because I sure as hell remember you!" Nick hit the rabbit in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The rabbit looked up and into Nick's eyes, and then started to laugh.

"Oh, it's you." He said between coughs. Nick was just about to knock the bunny out with a well placed punch to the head, when Judy grabbed his arm and pulled it down. Nick looked into her eyes and for a moment, everything seemed to glow. He dropped the rabbit and Judy put him in handcuffs. They walked him to the car and threw him in the back.

"What was that about Nick?" Judy demanded as she put on the lights and headed towards the station once more.

"He was one of the rabbits who attacked me the on Christmas Eve; I couldn't just let him go." They pulled into the station and got him out of the cruiser.

"I demand to see my lawyer!" the rabbit shouted as we brought him inside and into one of the holding cells.

"Are you sure he was one of them?" Judy whispers as they walk to their desks, as paperwork is required whenever an animal is arrested or when you make progress in a case.

"Yes, I'm sure Carrots. He was the one who kicked the back of my head. Now, do I get some sort of a reward for bringing in a wanted criminal?" Nick slid his chair closer to Judy and leans in for a kiss, but is met with her paw.

"Not that kind of reward, but you do get to interrogate him for information on who he works for, because let's be honest, he is not independent." Judy leads him by his snout to his computer and opens up a file named 'request form for interrogation'.

"Fill that out, and you get to go ham on him, at least, within his suspended rights." Judy hits save and print on her computer and stands up.

"Where are you going?"

"To Chief Bogo's office, I'm done all my paperwork."

A few hours later, Nick walks downstairs to the interrogation rooms, his aviators on and his mind set.

"Listen Nick, whatever he did to you, you have to leave it behind. If the other cops find out that he was related directly in the incident they might withhold the request, and then we've got nothing." Judy explains quietly as they stop outside the room.

"Don't worry Fluff; I know what I'm doing." Nick responds as he reaches for the handle, but stops when he feels something soft land on his cheek

"Good luck" He hears behind him as he sees the fluffy tail, from which the nickname came, disappear up the stairs.

"Okay then," Nick opens the door and sees the rabbit sitting there, "where do I begin?"

Five minutes later, Nick sits down at his desk, his tie loosened and his jacket hanging up on the corner of his chair.

"I hope you didn't go too overboard, you can get in a lot of trouble for that." His partner scolded as she turned to face him.

"I said don't worry, didn't I? Anyway, I got a name. He said that this rabbit is the only person who deals with Jack directly. He sounds like trouble, this Jack guy, how did you know him?" Nick says, leaning back in his chair, putting his feet on the table.

"Oh, nothing too special, just childhood friends..." Judy turns away, blushing madly. "... So, where do we find this guy?"

"I already ran a tracer on his name and ID; the only time in the past month that the cameras saw him was when we dragged him to the station, today." Nick sighs "But he did give us a location where he normally does business, an old hotel building in Tundra-Town."

He slaps a case file on Judy's desk, with a set of pictures in it, one of them being Nick in the hospital, covered in blood and bandages. Another being a mainly destroyed building, surrounded in snow.

"We should do a stakeout on the place." Judy suggests as she picks up the case file.

'What did she mean by "childhood friends"?' Nick thinks, jealousy starting to bubble up in the pit of his stomach. He stands up, and grabs his jacket.

"Well Carrots, we have a long night tonight. Better get some rest." Judy blushes even more.

'Yeah, I wonder how that will go down, and more importantly, should I try anything?' Judy thinks while walking to the back room where she sets up a bed and puts her head down.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Officer Hopps, it's time for our stakeout." Judy gets up, rubs her eyes and looks around just in time to see a red tail going through the door. She springs out of bed and races after him.

"What was all that about "Officer Wilde"?" Judy inquires, gently bumping hips with her partner. "You almost never call me by my first name, let alone officer."

"Well, I guess I just wanted to mix things up. I'm guessing you don't like it?" Nick opens the front doors to the ZPD, letting his partner go first. The clock on the big screen, slapped on one of the skyscrapers, says 8:45

"Yeah, just stick to calling me by one of the stupid nicknames you came up with, or Judy if things are getting serious. I know you too well for you to think of me anyway else." Judy leaps forward, doing a half turn in the air and lands in front of nick. She sees that his eyes are slightly bloodshot, although she doesn't say anything.

"How, exactly, am I to think of you then?" Nick says, keeping his emotions down well enough that Judy doesn't notice.

"For right now, a partner, but when we're off duty, think of me as your best friend, who will never leave your side." And with that, she spins around and continues marching towards the cruiser.

'If only I could think of you that way carrots, but it's turned into so much more than that...' Nick pinches himself in the arm. 'Dumb fox'

He jumps in after Judy, trying to think of anything other than his feelings towards Judy, though he fails miserably.

'Dammit, why can't I get this bunny out of my head?' Nick questions himself as he leans his head against the window. Before too long, they were at the sight of the stakeout, prepped and ready to go.

"Alright, I'll take the first watch because I managed to get some sleep back at home base. You get some rest Nick; I'll wake you up if anything happens." Judy puts her feet up on the dashboard and starts to peer at the building through binoculars, looking for anything happening.

"Actually Judy" Nick sighs "I've been meaning to talk to you about something." Judy puts the binoculars down, her ears beginning to droop.

"Yeah Nick, whatever you want to talk about. I'm here for you."

Nick composes himself, loosening his tie, and turning his body slightly more towards hers. "Well, it's bugged me ever since my trip to the hospital. All I remember is waking up, seeing you there, getting my gift and something else..." Nick trails off, a rosy glow appearing in his cheeks.

Judy understands what nick is talking about and begins to blush herself. "Nick, it- it was the spur of the moment. I don't know what I was thinking, I- I just- kind of did it." She stammers on.

"And you did this without thinking of my feelings?" Nick blurts out, immediately knowing what he has done. "Forget I said that last bit, ok?" He mumbles, turning away from his partner. He feels as though he is going to throw up, like the world has come crashing down on his shoulders.

"Nick... I never knew you felt this way..." Judy whispers, putting her paw on his arm. Nick turns around to face her once more, noticing that tears are falling from her lilac eyes. "I'm so sorry Nick, I didn't know. I still don't know if that would be a good idea... what would my parents...She rambles, stopping only because of the paw placed on her cheek, wiping some of the tears from her face.

"Judy, it's ok, I..." Nick whispers, their face slowly coming closer together until Judy pushes forward, their lips meeting in a tight embrace. The feeling of warmth flooding through each other's bodies was a sensation that could only be described as pure ecstasy. They continued like this, stopping only for brief breaths of air. Judy moving down Nick's neck, giving him butterfly kisses all around, looking for the perfect point. She knew she found it when a small moan could be heard, not from the rabbit, but from the fox she was nibbling on.

"I see, so that's where you're sensitive..." Judy chirps as she dives right back in again. Nick had never felt this way, not even the vixens he had dated before were this good.

"Where did you learn this?" Nick asks between staggered pants. She leans back a bit, and then swings her legs over him so that she is looking down over top of him.

"What, just because I'm a country bunny, doesn't mean I can't pick up a few tricks?" She whispers in his ear, as she continues to kiss him, starting under his ear, then working her way down to the collar. When she reaches it, she throws off his tie and begins to unbutton his shirt.

"I'm gonna have to stop you there carrots." Nick picks Judy up and places her on the seat beside him. "Don't get me wrong, I love what you're doing, and I want more of it, but you said "I don't know" when I confessed." Nick has a sad look in his eyes, as he peers down to the bunny sitting beside him.

"Nick..."

"No, carrots, I Know what I want. This is going to have to wait until you do as well. I'm going for a run, to leave you to think about this for a bit. When I get back, I'll be on watch, so get some sleep when I do." He opens up the car door, it almost being blown off its hinges by a gust of wind, and Judy watches as he steps out into the night.

"Dumb bunny" She says to herself as she goes back to the driver's side, picks up the binoculars and tries to drown out her confusion with work, as she has always done. Nick came back after about 30 minutes, and just as promised, they traded spots and nick took up the post until morning. Not another word was spoken between them.

The next morning, Nick had already driven them back to ZPD headquarters when Judy woke up. She got out of the car, stretched and walked inside, still mulling over what had happened the night before.

"Hopps, My office, now!" Chief Bogo yells from the top ledge as soon a Judy walks in, the smell of coffee and mammals flooding her senses.

"Coming sir!" She shouts back 'I wonder what's gotten him all in a wad this morning?' she wonders to herself as she walks up the flights of stairs to get to his office. As soon as she walks in, she realises that she isn't in trouble, as nick is sitting there as comfortable as he was the day that she met him.

"Wilde here has just told me that your efforts from last night were in vain, as no activity was recorded. Although they were of no use to the investigation, your efforts were commendable. Take today off, sleep a bit. You will be back in that lot by nightfall, understood?" The pair stood up, saluted and said in perfect unison "Sir, yes sir!"

As they were walking out of the office, Nick spoke up. "So, how are you going to spend today carrots?" He said, as though nothing had happened the night before.

"Probably sleep, what about you?"

"Much of the same, maybe a little shopping. Farewell, fluff!"

Before she knew it, they were at the entrance of the ZPD and Nick was walking away, the usual glide that accompanied him was nowhere to be seen as he walked, flat footed out the doors.

 **Writers note: Sorry for the wait everyone, I have been trying to get my sleep schedule back in order, so I am writing this at 11 at night. This chapter is a little short but I have big plans for the next set of chapters, so stay tuned.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Writers note: Hey there! I have big news; we hit over 1000 views in one day! Thank you all so much for helping me pursue what I love: Stories. So, I just thought you should know but enough from me. Will the tension between Nick and Judy ever cease?**

Nick dropped Judy off at her apartment with the usual "See ya Carrots." and then drove off, rolling up the windows. Nick parked the car at the station then changed into regular clothes. After he had left the station, he decided that he would walk down Main Street looking for a present. He still hadn't given Judy her present yet, and he had no idea what to get.

"Hey, I was wondering what I should get Judy for a late Christmas present, any ideas?" Nick said as he looked into some of the shops. He was calling the only person he could trust to help, Mrs. Otterton. She had said, after the case that if he had anything that he needed help with, she would always be willing to help.

"Oh dearie, where are you? I'm just doing my weekend shopping." Nick stopped dead in his tracks, inhaling sharply. He thought for a moment, thinking 'I really need help with this, and maybe it's something that needs a woman's intuition...'

"Alright, I'm down Main Street, next to that little shop that sells chocolate. See you in a few." Nick hung up, leaning against one of the lampposts outside, taking out a notebook. 'Maybe keeping track of ideas would be a good idea for this one.' Looking down on the empty page before him, he saw the necklace Judy had gotten him dangle down and hang in front of him.

"Aright, it's a start" He mumbled to himself, scrawling down "jewelry" sucking on the tip of his pencil, deep in thought, he hardly noticed when a little otter walked up to him and tugged on his sleeve.

"Well, this looks like something that you care about. So, let's get to work." Nick looks down and is confused by what he sees. It is Mrs. Otterton standing there, but her eyes and tone of voice matched the persona that was his drill sergeant.

"Ok then, I'll admit that I'm totally lost here. I've only thought of jewelry, any other ideas?"

"Nope, but let's walk for a bit. When you see it, it will just click. Like the piece finally fitting into place."

Judy lay down in her bed, after throwing her uniform in the washing machine. Opening her phone she sees the fox, whom she cares so much for, the feeling of unknown bubbling up inside of her, like a black hole, threatening to suck everything around her in with it.

"Nick, I never meant to mislead you. I don't know how I feel... So that why I'm spending today figuring that out!" She hops out of her bed, puts on something respectable and heads outside.

The first thing she does is go for a run, a short little jaunt, just to get the blood flowing. On her way she sees a few couples, sitting on park benches or just holding hands and walking. She feels her cheeks heat up and continues running. She stops by the waterside, peering into the crystal clear water before her.

"Zootopia, where anyone can be anything. Can I be a rabbit in love with a fox...?" She mumbles to herself as she splashes water in her face. She stands back up, and continues on her way, her face dripping wet, ignoring the looks from the other animals.

Nick and Ms. Otterton weren't having much luck in their search. They had been to a chocolate shop, a clothing store, even a phone shop for a new set of ear buds. They were running out of street and shops along with it when they came across a little jewelry shop.

"Let's go in there, we might as well look." Nick said 'even though my budget couldn't afford the box.'

As they walked into the shop, a little bell rang and a very regal looking mongoose stepped out from the workshop behind the shop. He was shorter than Nick, but he had a certain feeling that made Nick feel small. Almost like when Mr. Big had been talking to him about the skunk butt rug.

"Good afternoon, how may I assist you today?" He spoke in a very elegant tone. Like he was talking to a duke and duchess, this made Nick feel uneasy.

"Hello, we are looking for a late Christmas present for a colleague of mine, can you help us out?" The mongoose took a deep bow and then asked "For what species is this gift?"

"A rabbit"

"Well, I might have just the thing." He led them to a corner of the store where they had jewelry from that which would fit Judy, to the smallest little ring that Fru-Fru might wear. He reached down and pulled from the depths of shining diamonds a thin silver chain. On it hung a locket, with an engraving of a pattern, looping around the circumference of the locket, turning inwards on eight points, only to go to the other side. It was beautiful; it was big enough to fit a picture inside, but small enough that Judy would be able to wear it without much hassle.

"It's amazing, absolutely perfect." Nick gasped at the sight of it. "How much is it?"

"Fifteen"

"Fifteen what?"

"Fifteen hundred! What else?"

Nick felt a lead ball drop into his stomach. He had two hundred to spend today and he only got paid a thousand each month. He looked at the locket once more and imagined what Judy would look like in it.

"Can you reserve it for about three hours?" Nick pulled out his phone and loosened his tie.

"Nick, what are you planning?" Mrs. Otterton asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

"What I have to, she means the world to me, and I will do anything to repay her for the wonderful present she got me." Nick then looked at the clerk, nodded, and then ran out of the shop, back towards precinct one.

Judy looked at the time while changing a song and saw that it was already 2:12. 'Better get something to eat' she started towards a restaurant that she knew was good. The smell of delicious food drifted out of the doors as she walked in.

"Table for one please" She asked the doorkeeper as she hung up her coat. She followed the little mammal, her mind swimming in thought. She got a little table by the window; she looked up at the sky, clear except for the occasional cloud.

"What would you like for starters?" her waiter asked politely.

"A glass of carrot juice, please."

The waiter nodded and walked off towards the kitchen. Judy looked once again out the window, thinking about Nick and what she would do when she saw him again.

'Maybe, if I ask, he would say yes. He did say that he loved me.' Judy felt her face getting red at these thoughts, she looked down and saw that her juice had already arrived; a note came with it, placed just under the cup. She picked up the cup, and pulled out the note. It read;

Don't worry about it. I know that look, and I know it's a boy. The best thing you can do is trust your instincts, your gut feeling. If he really does like you back then he won't say no when you openly say you love him. That's just my personal opinion though.

There was no indication on who this note was from. She looked around to see if anybody was looking at her. She sipped from her juice casually, turning back towards the window.

'Maybe whoever wrote this is right, maybe if I just say how I feel then Nick and I could have a chance.' She felt her cheeks getting red again, but didn't care this time. She daydreamed until her waiter came back asking "what would you like for a main course?"

"Carrots for one with a side of French fries" She never got anything deep fried unless it was for a very special occasion with her family, but she needed the extra encouragement, tonight would either be the best night of her life, or the absolute worst.

The meal arrived a few minutes later, with another note; she was less cautious this time and grabbed it, unfolding it as fast as she could. This time it read:

"It looks like you took my first note to heart. Good, I hate seeing people starting to make the same mistake I did. You don't need to know who I am, only that I am a friend and you shouldn't be hearing from me again. I hope your night goes well, officer Hopps." Judy froze for a moment, thinking about 'how could this person know my name?' but then remembered the fiasco a few years back at the press conference.

"Thank you." She whispered quietly to herself, as not to draw attention to herself. She finished her meal quickly, leaving a big tip for her waiter, and exiting the building. Judy hit a couple of buttons on her music player, and started off with a purpose towards her apartment building.

"Chief, I need to talk to you." Nick said to the big mammal in front of him, causing him to turn around, a scowl on his face.

"What do you need Wilde, I thought you were off duty until tonight?" he started walking towards his office, Nick following closely behind.

"I am sir; I just needed to ask you for a favour." This caused him to stop, and turn around, this time with a sinister grin on his face.

"What is it Wilde, but be warned, I intend to have you pay back for whatever it is within the month." Nick fidgeted a little bit.

"I need an advance on my pay, maybe for the next two months?" Bogo looked happy, He chuckled a little bit.

"Sure thing Wilde, it will be transferred into your account as soon as it is possible." He turned his back to Nick, and walked away towards his office. Nick did the same, heading back outside towards the little jewelry shop, when Mrs. Otterton stopped Nick at the doors.

"What did you just do young mammal?" She asked in her stern mother voice. This caused Nick to shuffle a little bit backwards.

"Well, it's a funny story that..."

Judy made it back to her apartment in record time, taking all of the shortcuts she knew, it took her 13 minutes, at a brisk walk. She opened the door to her apartment, flopped down on her bed, hugged her pillow to her face, and screamed.

This continued for a few minutes, until the butterflies in her stomach had calmed down a little bit. She then got up, looked into her mirror, at the few tears that are streaming down her face.

"Come on Judy, you need to be stronger than this, even if it doesn't work out, this is Nick that we're talking about. He won't abandon me just because I say something weird, he is better than that. He forgave me after I screwed up at the press conference as well." Judy dried her eyes, put on some music, and took a shower. She looked down at the floor of the stall, at some of the grime being washed from her paws; she hadn't had a shower in days.

"Gross, imagine if Nick saw this." She said to herself. She took out the shampoo and started to wash herself down. Her mind playing tricks on her as once or twice she imagined it was Nicks hands and not her own.

"Stop that Judy, you need to control yourself. It's the middle of winter, it's not mating season yet. Even if it was, Nick wouldn't want to do stuff like that. Would he?" she questioned herself as she rinsed off and jumped out of the shower.

She stepped out into her apartment, looking around to see if the door or if any of the windows were open. She saw that the coast was clear, so she let her towel drop and jumped onto her bed, rolling herself up in a fluffy blanket.

She rolled around like that for a few minutes, and then turned to look at the clock. It was already 5:30. The next stakeout started in half an hour, and Nick would be here to pick her up in 10. "Oh shit!" she yelled as she sprang up, grabbed her uniform, and started putting it on.

"Yeah, so that's why I ran out all of a sudden." Nick had just finished explaining himself to Mrs. Otterton when they arrived back at the jewelry shop.

"Oh Nick, if you need anything, just call me up. These next few months will be hard without you being paid." Mrs. Otterton grabs Nicks hand and looks surprised when she sees him smiling.

"Actually" Nick takes out a black pen, pressing a hidden button on the side. It makes a rewinding sound then plays "I intend to have you pay back for whatever it is within the month." Chief bogos voice comes out of the pen, causing them both to laugh.

"So, will you be paying with cash, credit or debit?" The little mammal says from behind the counter, putting the locket into a small satin box, running them both under a scanner.

"Debit please." Nick pulls out his phone to make sure the money has been transferred into his account, and saw that it has, and he has received a text from chief Bogo, it reads "Parking duty for the next month, minimum of 500 tickets a day." Nick chuckles a little bit as he punches his code into the terminal. He then takes the little box, sticks it into his pocket and checks the time. It is already 5:30.

"Oh shit!" Nick yells as he runs outside, jumps into the cruiser and speeds off towards Judy's apartment.

Judy had just finished lacing up her boots as she heard a ding coming from her door. She opened it up, breathing heavily, as she had struggled to get her vest on a few seconds earlier.

"Hey Nick, how's it going?" Judy asked casually, trying not to let him se that she wasn't ready. There was no need however because Nick also was breathing heavily, because he had one minute to run up 17 flights of stairs.

"I'm good Judy. Are you ready for tonight?"

"Yep"

'No she isn't, because she doesn't know I have the locket.' Nick thought smugly. It felt good to be one step ahead of her for once. They both took the elevator down, for the group of tourists who had been taking the elevator down, had just left. As they both stepped out of the elevator, Nick had one thought fly across his mind, one that scared him greatly.

'What if she doesn't like me that way? People do things all the time because of the heat of the moment, so what if that was the case, and what if my efforts are all for not?'

He pushed the thought out of his head as fast as it came, he would not let his fears from long ago trip him up today.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Writers note: Hey. I experimented with a different writing style in the last chapter and I do not know if you liked it or not. Leave a review down below to let me know if it was all right. In addition, school has been rough on me, so sorry for not coming out with the next chapter sooner. Follow and favorite the story, if I get over 150 favorites, I promise I will write more. Anyway, on to the next chapter!**

"So, Nick." Judy finally says, they have been sitting in the parking lot for the better part of an hour. Nick had been sitting there and neither one of them had uttered a single word. "What did you spend your day doing?"

"Just a bit of shopping"

"That's cool, just for food, or what?" Judy feels some sort of tension in the air, like the buzz of charged particles before a lightning strike.

"Yeah" Nick shifts around a little in his seat 'Holy shit, I have never been this nervous' Nick swallowed hard, summoning all of the courage he required.

"Hey Judy, I have something for you…" Nick pulled the little velvet box out of his jacket pocket and Judys eyes lit up. She reached out and grabbed the box out of Nicks hands.

"Nick, did you get this for me?" Judy slowly pulled the top off of the box, revealing the locket inside. She grabbed the thin chain holding it, and lifted it out of the box.

"No Carrots, I got it for my grandmother and I'm just showing it off to you." Nick said sarcastically. He saw that Judy was having troubles putting it on, she couldn't get the clasp together behind her neck.

"Here, let me help." Nick slid over to her, and fastened the locket. Judy turned her head around, so that she was looking up at Nick, though her body was still facing the window.

"Carrots…" Nick leaned in slowly, feeling both her and his heart rate speed up enormously. "Did you think about it today?"

"I did, and even though in scared, I know that we will pull through. I want to give this a chance." Nick leaned in even more still, their noses just millimeters away from each other.

"Judy wait. There's something wrong." Nick said suddenly, sitting bolt upright, looking out the window.

"I know that other animals will look down on us, a predator and a prey, together, but no one else is here, so there's no need to worry."

"No, look." Judy picked up the binoculars and looked towards the building and saw a small animal wearing a hood enter the building.

"Good spot, I doubt anyone else would be able to do that with someone like me so close to them." Judy jumps up and sweetly kisses Nick on the cheek. Opening the door and bounding out into the snow before he could do anything about it.

"Sly bunny." Nick jumps out the other side, following Judy into the old hotel, close behind the small mammal in a cloak.

Pulling their weapons out of their holsters, they clear the hallway quickly, while following the suspect. The hotel had been there since the beginnings of the city, and only just closed down because of the fact that it was structurally unsafe. The walls were either bare wood or had peeling brown wallpaper hanging on for dear life. They ended up following him upstairs and through a door, which he closed behind him.

"Ready?" Judy braced herself by the side of the door, weapon in hand, ready to breach.

"As I'll ever be Carrots" Nick cocked his weapon and braced himself on the other side of the door.

"ZPD, freeze!" the two of them shouted as Nick kicked in the door, clearing the room in a record time that would make their drill sergeant proud. This would have been a flawless arrest of a suspect, if there was a suspect to arrest.

"Ummmm, Carrots?" Nick mumbled as they looked around the room.

"Yeah Nick." Judy mumbled back in equal tone.

"Where is our perp?"

"I thought you could tell me."

They took out their flashlights and looked around the room. It was a fairly small room, big enough to hold a small bed, and a closet. There was no window, and no other doors leading out of the room. There was nothing in it except for a built in closet that when opened, had nothing in it.

"Well, it looks like this was a bust, nothing to be found." Nick said, the sarcasm dripping from his voice like a leaky pipe.

"What did you find you dumb fox." Judy stomped over to him. She stood there, her foot stamping furiously.

"Look down, and belay that "dumb fox." I just found a lead." Nick points at the ground, at a wet footprint. It was a similar shape to Judys, but it was larger and missing a patch of fur on the bottom.

"Oh my god, this is wonderful. We have all of the footprints in all of Zootopia at our disposal; we can take this in and track down whoever ran into this building. We need to get this to precinct one!"

Judy snapped a picture of it with her phone, stopping only briefly to check and make sure that is was visible in the minimal amount of light that they had. Racing outside, Nick hot on her heels, the two of them turned on the sirens and made towards the center of the city at a screaming 60 mph.

"Is it ready?"

"No sir, it is in the making, it will take at least another day."

"If its not ready by tomorrow, I will do it myself, you incompetent fool!"

They pulled up at the ZPD, tires squealing as they slammed on the breaks. Nick got out first, with Judy following closely behind. Seeing Nick running like this, seeing his muscles pulsing as he bounded along, made her feel protected.

'I wonder if he has been working out.' Judy pulls ahead, for she was a faster runner anyway, but as she passed Nick, their eyes met, and they both were thinking the same thing. As soon as they entered the building, that Nick would go to the file room and put the picture in the case file and Judy would write up the report. Nick was just shutting the file cabinet when Judy came into the room, closing the door behind her.

"That was fast, I thought rabbits being fast was just a stereotype." Judy walks towards Nick, her eyes, half closed. Nick could hear her heart going a million miles per hour. As Judy was advancing on him, he backed himself onto the desk, almost jumping onto it.

"Carrots, are you sure this is a good idea, I mean anyone could walk in." Judy slid her arms underneath Nicks, and up his back. He looks at the clock across the room and it is 11:43, most of the officers would be either home or heading home.

"Don't worry you scaredy fox; we both know that no one is going to walk in on us." Their lips met again, but this time, they both went in and enjoyed it. Nick, wrapping his arms around the little figure before him, his hands on the small of her back as he slowly moved down. Suddenly, Judy gasped as Nicks paw grazed her tail. Nick could see in this light that she was blushing.

"I'm sorry, it's just... no one has touched my tail before." She wraps her hands around his head and continues to kiss him, Nick slowly massaging her tail. Nick had only started to kiss her neck when the door into the room burst open, and in wobbled an out of breath Clawhouser.

"Hey you guys. Do not want to interrupt, but I was watching the security cameras and rushed over here when I saw what was going on here. You know the ZPD records this stuff, right?"

They both looked at Clawhouser, speechless in part to the information that they had just received as well as the realisation of what they had been doing. "T-thank you Clawhouser, I think Nick and I will be calling it a night now..." Judy whimpered as she took Nicks paw and led him out of the room.

"Judy, what do you plan to do with me now?" Nicks voice taunted her. The familiar sound of his sarcasm and mock fear drove her nuts; she wanted more of whatever they had been doing.

"I have an idea; although you're going to have to keep quiet. The people where we are going don't really like it when they have a rival, and your noisiness might just convince them to start a war." Judy took him out of the building, grinning madly as she raced him down the street.

"They're on the move."

"Where are they going?"

"It looks like her apartment, nothing to worry about"

"Keep an eye on them, I want to know anything and everything that happens to her."

"Well, here we are." Judy threw open the door into her little apartment and was surprised when Nick was not immediately disgusted by it. In addition to its already "Charming" features, she had clothes scattered all over the room, empty food containers from the many nights when she got home, ate, then went to bed. Overall, the room had seen better days but by Judy's standards, it was horrid.

"Carrots, this is where you live?" Nick walked in, taking a short look around, then proceeding to start taking off his uniform. As his shirt fell away, Judy thought to herself 'yeah, he has been working out' when she saw his muscles, rippling under his fur, his abs visible though the white patch on his underside. Nick walked over to the bed and sat down.

"I know, I know. You probably want me over in the corner and not on your bed, but I wanted to see if you had something nice to lie on at night." Judy giggled slightly as she motioned towards him to look away. She undid her shirt and pants, turned off the light and climbed into bed with him. Their eyes had already adjusted when she lied down, so Nick reached over and pulled her in closer, his tail in between them. Judy stroked it a couple of times before hugging it, like a little teddy bear, and falling asleep.

'I have the best partner in the world' Nick thought as he pulled the covers over their shoulders and fell asleep himself. It had been a long day and he was exhausted.

"The fox didn't leave; he is still with her."

"Dammit, keep an eye on them."

"Already done, and the setup is complete. We can strike as early as tomorrow."

"No. I have a better plan."

The morning came once again without many interruptions. Nick opened his eyes and checked his phone, it was only 6:27 and the sun had already risen into the sky. He could hear the birds singing on the corner of the street, dressed in their tuxedos. He looked around and his heart stopped. 'Where the fuck am I?' Nick threw the covers off himself and was just about to yell for help when the door opened. Judy walked in, wearing a sports bra and running shorts, listening to her music. Nicks heavy breathing startled her, as she had only left 15 minutes ago and he was sound asleep.

"Nick, what's the matter?" Judy inquired as she took of her shoes and unplugged her ear buds. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her face into his bare chest. "Whatever it is, can it wait until after my shower?"

Judy let go and walked into the bathroom, stopping only briefly to blow a kiss at Nick before disappearing. As soon as Nick heard the water start running, he collapsed onto the bed, thinking 'I'm such an idiot' after closing his eyes to get a few more minutes of sleep.

He fell asleep faster than he ever expected, dreaming of running through a field. Then, something felt wrong, he saw a dark storm cloud drifting in over the horizon. He had a pulling sensation in his gut, the kind that makes you nervous. The kind that tells you something is wrong, and that something bad is going to happen. Trying to turn away from the dark mass, he realised that it was keeping his feet in place. Struggling against this force he finally managed to move his feet, it almost feeling as though he threw off a huge weight from his legs, running as fast as he could away from it, it started to rain, but not the usual kind of rain. This was the kind that- "Gaaaaarg"

Nick sprang up from the bed, soaking wet, looking into the eyes of a very disappointed Judy. She was standing over him holding a bucket, her ears still slightly wet from her shower. He looked around while shaking off of himself, realising that he had been asleep for more time than he had anticipated.

"C'mon you dumb fox, no time for a shower, get your uniform on!" Judy went over to her desk, grabbing her car keys and tranquiliser gun. She threw Nick his shirt from the floor beside her, hearing a satisfying "flump" as it made contact with his face.

"Aww, Judy. Do we have to go in today?" Nick started putting on his shirt, remembering the dream he had just had. It had left him with a sinking feeling in his stomach, the kind of feeling, he remembered, from right before he did a huge deal with Finnikk. That deal was either going to make them a whole lot of money, or make them the most wanted men in Zootopia for a few days. They left town after that, for every mammal Nick knew was after his blood.

"I don't think this is a good day for me." Nick said, trying to make up some excuse for not going in other than he "had a feeling". Nick buttoned up his shirt, looking into Judys eyes, trying to convince her to call in sick, or make something up.

"Nick, we've gone through this before, and we both know that taking a random day off is not a good idea." Nick finished putting on his uniform, strapping his semi-automatic pistol to his hip. He had special permission from chief Bogo to carry an active firearm. He believed that if things got to the point where he had to use it, he would much rather have an actual gun than one of those tranquiliser guns.

"Nick, I don't know what's up with you today, but whatever it is I'm sure that its just a feeling. I'm here, and nothing is going to change." They both took the elevator down to the parking lot, the feeling never leaving Nick. Judy could tell that whatever it was, it was really bothering Nick. They got into the cruiser, and took off towards precinct one. Nick keeping a keen lookout on the goings on outside. Looking for something, anything, just to keep them from reaching the precinct at their usual time.

"You sure you want to do this. She might not ever forgive you."

"I'm sure. I'll make it work, no matter what happens."

"Alright, they're on their way, in and out in five seconds."

Unfortunately, they made it in record time, and showed up at the door at exactly 7:30. They got out of the car, Nick leading the way. Walking in such a manner, that if anything were to suddenly jump out at him, he would be able to take it head on. He walked in the doors and felt the familiar scent wash over him, his shoulders dropped and he started to walk normally again.

"Hey Nick. How was your night?" Clawhouser poked at Nick while he was walking past the desk.

"And what is she, chopped liver?" Nick said back in equal tone, pointing behind him.

"Nick, who are you gesturing to, your imaginary friend?" Nick spun around. Judy was nowhere to be seen. He was sure that she was right behind him as he entered the building, and there was no way he could have missed her leaving his side.

"Judy?" Nick called. No response. He tried calling her on his cellphone, he heard the ringer go off outside. 'I've got you now.' He walked outside, turning off the cell phone.

"BOO!" Nick jumped out the door, to where he heard the ringer coming from. No bunny. He looked around and saw Judys cell phone lying on the ground, the camera open. Nick went over to it and picked it up. He then opened up the gallery, and saw that the most recent picture taken was only a second ago, and it was a blurry picture of Judy and another figure. Judys face covered by a paw holding a cloth, and his face covered with a black ski mask. Nick collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face. He had only felt this way once, and that was when his mother was in the hospital after a near fatal car crash. He didn't know if she was dead or not, so all he could do was wait. It made him feel helpless the last time. 'Not again...'


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Writers note: Hello everybody. What a turn of events for these two, Nick knew he should have trusted his gut. Anyway, what will become of Judy, and who took her?**

It was in the early hours of the morning, and Nick could not find a reason to go home. He had spent majority of the night doing research towards what might have happened to his partner. Looking over the cameras should have been an easy feat, but unfortunately, these mammals were not screwing around, and had taken out the front camera before taking her. Nick sat back in his chair, feeling the bags under his eyes start to form. He had already called Mr. Big and Finnick, neither of them had heard anything. He had one more contact he could try, but like Mr. Big, said that she would kill him if she ever saw his face again, and this time he didn't have something like saving a relative to help him this time. However, he had to try. He stood up, pulled out his phone and looked through his notes. There it was, under locations, he found the place he was looking for.

"I said that I wouldn't go back there, but this is important, and if I never find her, it would be better if I were dead. Anything would be Better than living with this feeling."

Nick went outside after grabbing the keys to the cruiser. Looking into the Night sky as his breath turned into fog, drifting upwards until disappearing. He walked over to the cruiser, his fist clenched tightly around his keys. Remembering how happy Judy was when he gave her the Christmas present.

"This has to work. It just has to." Nick convinced himself as he took off down main street.

Eventually, he made it to the place he had marked. He remembered vividly how she had almost killed him before. However, he knew her tactics now, and he wouldn't fall for the same tricks twice. He saw the guard outside the door, dosing off. He walked up to him, slammed his hand on the sheet metal wall behind him, waking him up.

"WhoGoesThere!?" He squealed as he saw Nick in front of him, his eyes almost glowing in the moonlight. Immediately recognising him, he let Nick through. Giggling to himself, as he knew that she would kill him if he didn't have a good reason to be here.

"Ah… Nicholas Wilde. I was wondering when you would show your face around here again." Nick pulled back a curtain and walked into a room, lit only by candles and luminous jars of fireflies. The room was tinted pink however, by the see through curtains in front of the light sources. On the far wall ahead of him, was a throne. On this throne sat the smallest hyena anyone had ever seen. Her name was Giggles, and Surrounding her was many larger hyenas, praising her.

"Fucking hyenas…" Nick whispered to himself. "I need your help, this is urgent."

"Oh, urgent, is it?" Giggles responded in a sarcastic manner, giggling to herself, covering her mouth with her paw. "I'm sure it is important, to you, but is it to me?" she questioned him as she walked towards him, her hands behind her back.

"It will be, once you know what's in it for you" Nick bargained as she got closer and closer. Her eyes lit up as she remembered that he was a cop, and that he had a lot he could offer her.

"Very well, I will help you with whatever it is that you need, on one condition: if any of us get into trouble, you don't come and arrest us right away, you wait at least one week."

Nick didn't like this proposal, but he had no other choice if he wanted to get Judy back.

"Alright" he said reluctantly agreed "But this has to have your full attention, every man on it."

"You have my word. Now, what is it that you need?"

"I need help finding a few mammals. One of them, my partner, Judy Hopps. You might have seen her on T.V?" Giggles nodded in response

"Any others?"

"Yeah, whoever took her would be nice." Nick clenched his fist once more, looking at the floor.

"Don't worry dear, I will have all of my best looking for her, just make sure to remember our promise" Giggles walked up to him, running her paw across his face. Nick recoiled at this, backing away.

"Alright, you know how to contact me if you find anything." Nick turned away, walking towards the exit. As he left the musky indoors, he saw the hyena who was guarding the door, his face frozen into a shocked look. Nick chuckled as he got back into the car and drove off.

Nick got back to the precinct around 4:30 that night, dropping off the cruiser, he started walking home. Remembering suddenly that he had left some of his things at Judys place. He turned around and started off at a jog towards her building, stopping only once to make sure that he was going the right way.

"Dammit Judy, why did it have to be you. I haven't been in the game since you left." Nick hit the wall just as he was approaching her apartment complex. The pain he felt in his paw brought him back, into a memory from long ago.

It was 5th grade, Nick had just been discarded from the scouts, and was now walking around the halls without talking to anyone, or even making eye contact. He had never felt so hopeless, and he had been down before. During lunch time however, he found out that not everyone hated him.

"Hey. Are you ok?" he heard from behind him.

He turned around and saw a vixen, slightly taller than him, her eyes a shining blue. He felt some of the heaviness in his chest lift as he started to talk about himself. Her name was Iren, she had just moved to Zootopia from another far off country, and spoke with a very strange accent. She told him about her home and how it is very different here.

"Hey, you don't have to talk to him, you can come hang out with us." Came a voice from behind Nick. He turned around and it was one of the boys who had muzzled him at the meeting and a few of his buddies.

"I've heard about what you've done, leave us be or you will regret it." Irene said, her claws slowly poking out from her paw. One of them saw this and nudged at his friend. He saw this and they all walked away.

"You didn't have to do that. You could have just gone with them." Nick looked up into her eyes, tears starting to form.

"Never. If anyone is being mistreated, I feel its my job to be there and comfort them until they can find their way again." She said as she stood up and walked to class, the bell ringing as she did so.

Nick had never had a friend like this before. They sat together in class and ate lunch together. They talked about their dreams and what they wanted to do with their lives. For the first time since the ranger scout meeting, Nick felt truly happy.

This went on for a month, then one day

"Irene, what happened to you? Why is your face all covered in bandages?"

"I'll explain at lunch. Can we just ignore that for now?"

Irene came into school that morning with her head wrapped in bandages, and the only thing that wasn't wrapped was her left eye. School went on like normal, but the boys in the back of the room seemed to be happier than usual.

Lunch came, and Nick and Irene bolted out of the classroom, Nick being slightly faster than her, he reached the hangout place first. He set out his lunch, and waited. He waited for what seemed like an eternity, but she finally came.

"Ok, you need to explain this to me. First of all, what happened?" Irene looked around to make sure that no one was watching. Then started to unwrap her bandages.

"I don't need these on. The doctors stitched it up quite well. I just didn't want anyone but you knowing the extent of my injuries." As the last meter of bandage fell to the ground, Nick couldn't help but stare. She had one long cut, starting at her forehead, and ending at her nose. Her beautiful face had been scarred for life. In addition, it was not claws that made this mark, but rather a knife.

"Who did this to you?" Nick asked quietly, rising to his feet.

"Nick, it doesn't matter. I'm fine." Nick started walking away, heading toward the boys on the playground.

"Nick!" Irene sprang up and wrapped her arms around him. Nick could feel her tears soaking into his shirt.

"It doesn't matter who did this, because if you are fighting for someone else, you will always win, even if you are changed for life."

Nick made it to Judy's apartment with little to no trouble. He threw his stuff on the floor and collapsed into the bed. Taking in her scent, he felt at home. Then a pang of guilt. 'If I had only waited for her, then this would have never happened.' He turned over and started to cry. Sobbing into the pillow, calling out her name when he could find his breath, until eventually, the depths of sleep called out to him and dragged him under.

 **Well everybody, there it is. I know it is a little shorter than expected, but I have had a lot on my plate. No need to worry though, even if the chapters are a little more spaced out, the ending will be satisfactory, I promise. I hope to see you all in the next chapter, but until then, this is farewell.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Judy woke in a cold sweat. She had been struggling at the ropes that bound her for the better part of last night, and passed out do to exhaustion. The fur on her wrists was matted with blood, and her ankles were starting to lose fur. She saw the lights turn on, bright fluorescence in the ceiling, and a figure walk through the door in a lab coat, holding a clipboard. As he grew closer, Judy felt hatred grow in her gut.

"Good morning Judy. Remember me?"

Jack, smiling and proud, greeted Judy as though it was any other day. Checking his clipboard for a quick second, a little laugh escaped his lips. He looked Judy right in her eyes. There was a slight hint of pain, but the main thing clouding his vision, Judy couldn't tell.

"I understand you must have a lot of questions. Trust me when I say that they will all be answered in time. All that you need to know now is that nobody will find you. And if they do, they won't be telling anyone else where you are." He dropped the clipboard at Judy's feet. Quickly scanning over it, she realised why he needed the lab coat.

"You can't do this, Nick will catch you, and free me. I know he is already doing everything in his power to find me." Judy hissed. The very thought of Jack being the one behind this infuriated her.

"Ah, yes. Your friend," Jack whispered, pulling the locket out of his pocket. Judy's heart skipped a beat when she saw it; it didn't belong in his hands. "I had hoped to see him here earlier. I guess he just isn't as good as everyone says he is. That, or I'm better."

"Give that back." Judy was shaking with anger. She hadn't felt rage like this before in her life. She wanted to rip his throat out, and burn his corpse.

"I don't think I will. You see, you and he won't need this, and I think I can make a pretty penny off of it. You know these are real rubies on the front?"

He picked up the clipboard and turned his back on Judy. He walked out the door with a snide "Don't worry; I'm sure you two will be just fine" Not even looking behind him. But that was ok with Judy, because she had grabbed a paperclip from the clipboard, and was beginning to saw at the ropes.

* * *

Nick had been in the ZPD for the better part of 12 hours, stopping only to grab a coffee. The footprint that he and Judy found was a bust, nothing matched the central database. He had decided to follow the van using the cameras in the city, nothing. It had completely disappeared. He was just about to grab one of the bikes to go check out what little side roads connected to where he lost it, when the chief stopped him.

"Wilde. I know how much this means to you, but there are certain rules that everyone has to follow. Because of your closeness to this case, I cannot allow you to work it, at all. You are to go home, and rest."

He walked off, knowing that no matter what, Nick was going to work this case. Nick, knowing that the chief wouldn't stop him anyway, grabbed the bike and headed out.

He ran down the stretch of land that the van had disappeared on once, twice, three times, and didn't find anything. It was on the fourth time that he had looked, that he saw a slight variation in the color of cement. As though there was a secret hatch. He grabbed the crowbar that was attached to the bike, and started prying at it. Suddenly, it opened, and it looked like something out of a movie.

"Holy shit." Nick exclaimed as the entire road turned into a downwards ramp, the same way the van had gone. He hopped onto the bike, and headed down. As soon as he had hit the bottom, it closed behind him.

He rode for a few minutes, then it panned out into an underground system of railroad tracks, that hadn't been used in decades. And he found the van, with nothing leading to, or away from it. Whoever had done this, they were thorough. He went back the way he came, to find that the hatch was opening just as he got there. He kept driving, and it closed back up behind him. As though someone was watching him, and just wanted to see him frustrated.

"I know you're watching me, so know this. I'm coming to get your ass, and when I do, I will turn it into mince meat!" Nick shouted at seemingly nobody.

* * *

"He is going to turn the workout room to rubble."

"There's going to be nothing left"

"He is like those savage mammals we had a while back."

Everyone was crowded around the door to the workout room, while only Nick was in there. He had wrapped his hands in black wraps, got into just some shorts, and started working out. At first it was fine, he was doing body weight workouts, then he moved onto free weights, then machines. As soon as he got into the boxing aspect of it though, shit hit the fan. He started screaming as he hit the bag. And it wasn't just boxing, he was working in kicks and elbows that sent the bag swinging around. Eventually, it split, and Nick went on a tear, tearing up the gym. Then, the door opened.

"I'll take it from here fellas"

And in walked the last mammal you would think would get into the middle of that

"No. He will rip you to shreds."

"Trust me, I've got this."

Nick stopped what he was doing, a smile growing on his face, as Clawhouser walked in, and stepped into the ring. Nick grabbed a set of gloves, and followed suit. Clawhouser set a 3 minute timer, and as soon as he started it, Nick rushed him, swinging wildly. Benjamin easily ducked under his hooks, and slipped his straight punches. Nick went for a takedown, but Benjamin was too fast. He got nick into a lock, and held him there.

"Listen to me. I know what you're going through, and doing this won't help fix anything."

"You don't know what I'm going through!"

"Yes, I do. Do you remember that case with the missing cheetah a few months ago? We found her in an abandoned warehouse after a few weeks? That was my wife. You guys were so into this case, that you didn't even notice how I was reacting to everything."

Nick stopped struggling. Tears started to run down his face.

"So, I do know what you're going through. I know it all too well. Judy is a smart, fast, hardcore bunny. If anyone can survive whatever this world has to throw at her, it's her. So stop your worrying, we have all of our best response team members on this, tracking her down day and night. You need to worry about taking care of yourself now."

Benjamin took Nicks gloves and wraps off to reveal that his knuckles and fingers were all bruised and bleeding. Nick turned around and spent a few minutes crying into his chest, letting everything that had been eating at him for the past two days manifest in tears.

After saying sorry to everyone, and many hugs and tears, Nick left the detachment feeling better about everything. He knew that somebody would find her. If not the ZPD, then Giggles and her band of hyenas. It was time to do what was right, and stop worrying. He went to Judy's place, and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

* * *

Judy had nearly sawed through her one wrist restraint when Jack came to check in on her again. She did her very best to hide the work she had been doing, and hid the paperclip under her paw.

"So, your boyfriend is a very angry mammal right now." He said with a smirk, turning a tablet to face Judy. He then played a video of Nick, stopped in the middle of a road, on one of the ZPDs bikes, yelling to the wind. When he had driven away, Jack turned the tablet back around and started laughing.

"Really?! Mince meat?! I'm pretty sure that goes against every mammals instinct now. Now, for some good news, somebody has found you. They are currently outside. Bad news, it isn't your boyfriend. More good news though! They're both going to die, and you're going to get a front row view. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show."

Jack then beckoned for a television to be brought in, with the video feed showing a metal barn house with a cleared out front lawn. Two figures were approaching the house, with weapons drawn.

"Hey Jeff, do you think this could be the place?" one hyena said to the other as they cautiously approached the barn

"I don't know, something seems off about this place though." They both walked closer and closer until...

"Frank!"

One of the hyenas dropped to the ground, clutching at his neck. The other sprinted over to him and put his hands on his back. Suddenly, the one who was hit thrashed around, and kicked his friend to the ground, and on all fours, sprinted over to him and started tearing into his neck, ripping out his trachea, blood spraying everywhere. He tore into his chest cavity, even though his friend was long dead, and literally tore him into shreds. When there was nothing left to tear apart, he walked around, whimpering. Suddenly, he threw up blood, lots of it, and collapsed to the ground in a seizure.

Then all was quiet, they were both dead.

"How did that look to you little bunny? Wasn't it you that said I couldn't do this? I think I just did." Jack laughed maniacally as he wheeled the TV set out and closed the door. Judy sat there in silence, unable to do anything. All she could think about was that Nick was looking for her, and when he found her, that would be him. She couldn't sleep a wink either, or work on cutting the ropes. She just sat there.

"Oh Nick, if only I could warn you. You Stupid fox."

While across town, that very same fox slept soundly, knowing that he would find his love, and that everything would be alright.

 **Holy cow, its good to be back. For anyone who was waiting for this to be out, here it is. only one more chapter left, and then another story will be in the works. I am so sorry to all of you, life has been hectic, and i couldn't find any time to write. but believe me when i say that this story will be finished by the end of this week. until the next chapter, cya!**

 **Zach**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Nick woke to a familiar sound that morning. His phone had several messages from an unknown number, saying to 'come back to the hideout, where I normally am.' Normally, he would have waited until he was done his shift, but he didn't have work anymore. So he texted 'why, is something wrong?' and got into a shower.

Standing there, letting the water run down his fur, this gave Nick time to collect himself before confronting whatever it is that giggles wanted. He knew that it would have to be something related to the search for Judy, so he prepared himself. He had just finished scrubbing his fur when he heard his phone go off again, so he got out of the shower. Checking his phone, his heart started to race. He had never gotten dressed faster in his life, grabbing his things and heading to the hideout, he planned on getting there in the next ten minutes.

'We found her'

Three simple words and Nick was the happiest mammal alive. Racing down the street, lane splitting, tailgating, he was going breakneck speed when he pulled into the parking lot. He threw his helmet on the bike, and sprinted inside, ignoring the guard that was fast asleep on his post.

"You had better not be lying." Nick stated as he walked inside. Giggles was alone, nobody tending to her, and she was pacing back and forth.

"Well, I didn't exactly rescue her, though I found a place where I'm pretty sure she might be held." She turned on her phone and showed nick a map. "I sent a few of my men to check out this area, and haven't heard back from them in a couple of days. Last night, I sent out another crew to look for them, same thing. Communications always ends whenever they reach this barn," she explained, circling a spot on the map.

"So you think that whoever took Judy, and Judy herself is there. Got it, send me the picture, and I'll be there as soon as I can be." Nick started to head out of the room, when Giggles grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Nicky boy, please be careful. I wasn't lying when I said my best men were on it."

Nick shrugged her off; nothing could change his mind or actions. If there was a chance that Judy was there, and he had a shot at getting her back, then he was going all out.

* * *

Judy hadn't slept at all that night, sick with worry; she had been trapped in her own mind, and also partially scarred from last night's "Show." She knew that Nick was already looking for her; she just didn't know when he would get here. The rope binding her right paw was almost cut through, but she held back. She had to escape when Nick was getting here: If she escaped too early, she would get lost wherever she was, and probably wouldn't be able to find Nick in time. If she escaped too late, Nick would be shot with that formula that Jack made. So she waited.

Nick, on the other hand, couldn't wait at all. He had already gone to the ZPD and arranged for a SWAT hit on the barn that they had talked about. Nick himself would be the spearhead of this operation, so he was getting some range time with the gun that he would be using. It had a little more kick than what he was used to, but it also had a lot more ammunition in the magazine, and had more stopping power than his sidearm.

"Whoever took you Judy, I'll make them pay." Nick thought as he squeezed off another couple of rounds. He was hitting the target every time, so he decided to finish off the magazine and be done for today. The strike was at seven tonight, and he needed to write a few documents before organising this.

After writing the documents and tucking them away in his file, he decided to go make a visit to some of his old friends before he headed out. He still had a few hours, so he visited to Mr. Big, and went to go find the truck that Finnick was driving. Mr. Big gave him a few wise words of encouragement, and his prayers during his operation, and Finnick simply said "Don't die for this bunny" Before driving off again.

Thirty minutes before they were all going to arrive at the barn, Nick briefed all the mammals included. Telling them about how this mission had high risk and that there was a lot at stake. He didn't need to say any names, but everyone knew that when he said "hostage" that he was talking about Judy.

"Alright, I think I've lectured you for long enough. You have fifteen minutes to load up, and then we are wheels down. Let's get this thing done." Nick stomped out of the bull pen, filled with a new motivation. He had animals backing him up, animals that wanted to rescue Judy as much as he did, though none had the connection.

"Quite the speech giver, aren't you Wilde?" Benjamin said, peering over the divider into Nick's cubicle.

"I just want her back Ben. I've lost so much already, I don't need to lose her too." Nick said quietly, so that only Ben could hear.

"Listen, Nick, I know how much she means to you, but you have to promise me something: that if shit hits the fan tonight, you won't do anything stupid." Nick stood up, ears straight up, tail starting to bush up.

"Like what Ben?" Nick was nose to nose with Clawhouser now, and he was furious.

Clawhouser knew that Nick wasn't going to like what he said, but he had to try and talk some sense into him. "Like losing your life to save hers," he said, waiting for the storm to come.

"Admit it; you would do the same thing! When you meet that mammal, the one you look at and say 'she's the one' you would do anything for her."

"I know Nick, but what good is it if you rescue her, but end up dead? What good is it to her if are you dead?!" Benjamin yells, slaming his drink down on the desk, "So God dammit Nick, don't die out there."

Nick picks his pistol up off the desk, ignoring the spilled drink, "We are five minutes away, let's head down to the cars. Also, quit your worrying: everyone will be fine."

They drove in silence, and everyone got there fine. Walking up to the door, Nick took the lead, pushing it open slowly and quietly.

"Alright Alpha team, move in, nice and slowly now." Nick said quietly over the radio. He didn't want to mess this up, not with her life at stake. As soon as the last man was through the door, it slammed shut. Lights came on, and they saw that it was an empty white room with a single door, which opened cleanly and quietly, leading to a set of stairs leading downward.

On the way down, Nick did a routine check: "Alpha team, report."

"Alpha one"

"Alpha two"

"Alpha three"

"..."

"Where is Alpha four?" Nick said as they got to the bottom of the stairs. Just then, the door behind them slammed shut, and more lights came on. They were in a hallway, going perpendicular to the way they just came.

"Oh, is this thing on?" A new voice came on over the radio channel. "Hello members of the ZPD. I am the one who owns the complex that you are currently searching. Don't worry, your friend is fine, he will wake up in the morning in one of the squad cars outside."

"What do you want?" Nick said over the radio, growing more and more angry, his voice starting to shudder.

"Not much really, Nick old friend. Just you, I have already proved that I can take the members of your team with ease. So, I'll give you a choice: send the other members of your team back upstairs to wait in their cars, or I will take them all, one by one, and put them there myself." Nick punched the wall, his padded gloves taking most of the force, but the pain helped him to think.

"Alright, you get what you want. I will continue to walk these halls until I find you and arrest your ass, the rest of my team," Nick looked at them sternly, "will head back upstairs, if you would be so kind as to open the door for them."

Nobody said a word, for he was the officer in charge of this operation, they had to listen to what he said. They all went back upstairs when the voice came onto the radio again.

"Good choice. Now, head to your left, walk three doors down, then take a right."

Nick did as he was told, walking into a brightly lit room, with two television screens. On one of them, was Judy, bound and gagged, and on the other was Fangmyer, who was Alpha four in this operation, also bound and gagged.

"Another choice for you to make. You recognise both of these people. One of them, your lover, the other, your friend: You know both of these mammals, and now you must pick one to save." Nick looked at both of these screens. A figure walked on to both of them, both of them had their faces covered and both of them were holding guns.

"Clock is ticking, Nick. Pick one, or they both die." Nick started pacing around the room, a timer appearing on both screens counting down from thirty seconds. Trying the radio, it didn't work, somehow, he had blocked out the communication.

'Dammit, this psycho is good at what he does.' Nick thought, timer counting down past ten.

"Fuck you! Judy! I pick Judy!" Nick shouted, the timer nearly over.

"Very well then, you save your lover, the one you came here to get." The screen with Judy on it disappeared, replaced with two screens of Fangmyer. The other mammal holding the gun cocked it back, and shot him in the side of his head, blowing out the other side.

"You damn psycho, you're going to rot in prison, I hope you know that." Nick said as a door behind the televisions opened, and led Nick down a long, dimly lit hallway. At the end of this hallway however, he saw a room with a small, long eared mammal tied to a chair. Nick started to sprint down the hallway, everything else becoming a blur, until he got to her.

"Judy. I'm here, you're going to be ok," Nick sobbed, tears of joy running down his face, "I'm going to get you out of here."

"Nick?" Judy mumbled, Nick untying her wrists first.

"Nick, behind you!"

Not noticing that there was a door right before the end of the hallway, out stepped Jack, holding a gun that looked strangely familiar to the one that Bellwether used. Judy grabbed Nicks gun from its holster, and took a shot at Jack at the same time that Jack took a shot at Nick. They both hit.

"AAARGH!" Nick shouted as he collapsed to the floor, Jack stumbling down the hallway, and out of sight.

"Oh my god, Nick!" Judy shouts as Nick writhes on the floor, screaming in agony.

Judy unties her ankles and drops to her knees beside Nick. Grabbing her face, and looking her dead in the eyes, Nick holds on to what part of himself he can.

"Judy, I'm sorry." He manages to get out, kissing Judy before letting go, and passing out cold.

"Nick, don't you die on me. Nick!" Judy screams before throwing one of his arms around her shoulder and dragging him outside. As soon as she got outside, two of the larger mammals took Nick from her, threw him in the back of one of the cruisers, and took off. Clawhouser wrapped a towel around Judy, and quickly followed suit.

* * *

Jack was wounded, limping to his getaway car, with his most trusted partner waiting to drive away.

"I don't see why you had to kill the other one." she said, driving off into the sunset. Leaving town was their first priority, Jack was fixing his own wounds in the passenger seat.

"I wouldn't expect you to, but it was important to me that he made the move to kill one of the closest mammals in his life." Jack said quietly, vowing that one day he would come back, and that he would kill that fox. The fox that was the only thing standing in his way from the thing he wants most in life, Judy.

* * *

 **O-M-Goodness! What just happened? Will Nick ever recover from this? Will Judy see the love of her life on his own two paws again? Will Jack really return? So many questions, in so little time. Although i have an answer to all of them, and this may come as a bit of a shock to some of you.**

 **This is the last full chapter.**

 **This story i have just written, i planned it out to end here. There's nothing left for me to write. I do have an epilogue planned, but that is going to be a short wrap up, just so that you see how everything ends.**

 **For those of you hoping that this would be a slow burn and eventually get some smut out of it (Lunar Silver) I am sorry to disspoint, but it will be in another story, maybe a one shot, keep your eyes open ;)**

 **Until then, I am sorry, and i hoped you enjoyed my first fanfiction.**

 **Zach**


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